


Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage

by mischiefmanaged95



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Book: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Canon - Book & Movie Combination, Characters As Seen In The Films, Draco Malfoy is a Good Father, Eighteen Year Old Albus and Scorpius, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gryffindor Scorpius Malfoy, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Spoilers, I Mean The Actors That Played Albus and Scorpius Are Like In Their Early Twenties, Kissing, Love, M/M, Ministry of Magic, Post-Hogwarts, Potter Family, Scorbus, Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, True Love, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7797403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischiefmanaged95/pseuds/mischiefmanaged95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” ― Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo.<br/>_____<br/>Scorpius only needed twenty seconds. Just twenty seconds of courage to do this. And damn it, he was going to pull this off.<br/>_____<br/>Fluff + Feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage

**Author's Note:**

> I have always loved Harry Potter, it was my first love and I feel like I'm not really able to write stories off the books or films, I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to. I think I just love JKR's words! <3 
> 
> However, for the Next Gen, I have all the words, and this is something that came to mind after seeing the Cursed Child. When I picture Harry, Ron and Hermione, I see Daniel, Rupert and Emma (as much as I loved the actors and actress in the play), they will always be my Golden Trio, so that's who I imagined in here! 
> 
> I own no one. Any mistakes are my own. This takes place Post - Hogwarts for Albus and Scorpius.

* * *

Scorpius was pacing.

He couldn’t remember for how long, but damn it his legs were beginning to ache and he was pretty sure he had lost feeling in the soles of his feet. He could do this, sure he could do this. He’d managed to just about changed the wizarding world's view on the Malfoys, or at least helped to prove they all weren’t 'vile, evil, little cockroaches'. But _this_ , this was something different altogether.

For as long as he could remember, it seemed Scorpius was different.

He hated his grandparents for their past actions, steered clear of dark magic and preferred the company of books over much else. That is, until he met Albus Potter, who became his best friend when they met on the Hogwarts Express in their first year.

Scorpius was everything his father hadn’t been and Draco was _happy_ because of that, he’d rather have son who spoke the truth, who listened and cared for others, who was listened to and respected, not feared. His son was everything his father had prevented him from being. He hoped he’d become more like the father he wished he’d had as a child.

Scorpius may have the same cool blue eyes and ruffled blond hair, pale skin and height of a Malfoy male, but that was where their similarities ended. For starters, he used his brain over his actions, he wasn’t hot tempered or cowardly, used intellect and skill to push himself forward, and he never betrayed his friends, he was loyal down to his very core. Above all, he was brave, something his father had instilled in him – to be your own person, never let anyone else sway or tempt you.

That’s why Scorpius shocked the entire wizarding world, or at least those associated with Hogwarts, when he was placed into Gryffindor.

What was even _more_ shocking perhaps was that Albus Potter was placed in Slytherin, a house that had to work hard to shed its previous associations with the Dark Lord. But moreover, the fact that the two became fast friends – _best_ friends in fact – they spent their Christmas’ with each other, sometimes with the Potters and other times at the Malfoys which helped to bring the families together and bury the hatred. In having a Malfoy a Gryffindor and a Potter a Slytherin, it appeared the wizarding world had come a long way from the dark ages and the wars that had past. And yet, Scorpius was still nervous about _this_.

“Scorpius, for goodness sake, stop pacing and sit down,” Draco sighed, smiling somewhat fondly at his son, “you didn’t come all the way to the Ministry, my place of work, to pace around my office.”

“Well, maybe I did,” Scorpius replied, biting his nails, “maybe, you don’t know me as well as you think you know me dad.”

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked with amused eyes, “then do please enlighten me.”

Scorpius sighed and slumped in the seat across from his father dramatically, “I have problem.”

“Don’t we all?” Draco chuckled, rolling his eyes fondly, “well, come on then. What is it?”

“There’s this…person. He wants to tell someone else that he likes them…or maybe it’s more than that. He’s not…no he _is_ sure. But he’s not sure if the other person will react well,” Scorpius mumbled, blushing.

He was _eighteen_ years old (turning nineteen soon) and he was asking his _father_ for _dating_ advice. Sure, he defeated that strange woman who thought she was the next Voldemort, managed to outwit the trolley lady’s strange hands, but tell someone that he may or may not be in love with them? Nope, couldn’t do it.

“Son,” Draco said, a smile tugging at his lips, “just tell them. Seriously, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“I’ve got _everything_ to lose,” Scorpius groaned, shaking his head.

“Sometimes those are the best times to take a chance.”

Scorpius stared at his father for a moment and then he smirked, “didn’t know you were so wise dad. You’re getting strange in your old age.”

“Sometimes I think you like having your allowance cut,” Draco laughed, only teasing and patted his son’s shoulder when the younger blond’s face fell.

**-*-**

Rose was sitting on the living room sofa of the Potters when Scorpius stepped out from the fireplace. Rose and Hugo were staying over with their aunt and uncle while Hermione and Ron were on business for the Ministry (well, _Hermione_ was).

“Hey Rose,” Scorpius smiled while dusting himself off, smiling at his other best friend of about seven years. Looking up from her book, Rose pushed back her curly chestnut brown hair, a small smile gracing her lips, the fireplace’s warm glow kissing her creamy pale skin.

“Hey,” she said, dropping her book to hug her friend. The Ravenclaw had taken a liking to Scorpius after a few uneasy months of bitter friendship; especially when she saw what a good person he was, and how he’d helped Albus get over his fears and insecurities.

“Home alone?”

“Nah, Uncle’s in the garden with James and Lily, but Al disappeared off somewhere. I think he’s out by the lake, something’s wrong,” Rose said, clearly worried about her cousin, “I tried talking to him, but he didn’t say a word. Maybe you could try?”

“Sure,” Scorpius nodded, taking off for the garden door, “be back in a bit.”

Rose smiled, watching her friend walk out into the garden, waving to the Potters and then he disappeared in a thick green mass of trees as he went to find Albus. She hoped today would be the day he’d finally come clean about everything. Quite frankly, there were just some things she couldn’t solve, no matter how much she wanted to. 

**-*-**

Scorpius found Albus by the well, out in the nearby woods to the Potters house, swinging on the old, creaking swing, watching the lake in front of him with a strange look on his face.

“Al?”

Albus turned and smiled halfheartedly, “hey, Scorps.”

“What’s gotten you all gloomy?” Scorpius asked, sitting down by the lake, patting the soft grass next to him for Albus to join.

Albus sighed and slumped next to him, “there’s this thing…well, _it’s_ not a thing…more like a person, well, it’s _about_ a person and I –

“Al, as much as I am accustomed to your rambling, you’re really not making any sense,” Scorpius smiled, trying to lighten Albus’ mood.

“Right, okay. You see, I have this problem,” Albus said, looking at his friend’s muddy combat boots next to his own tattered converses, “…I – Do you _like_ Rose?”

Scorpius stared at his friend. And then very slowly a smile broke out onto his face and a laugh crawled up his throat, “ _what_?”

“I mean, it’s just a –

“Of course I do, you silly nitwit!” Scorpius chuckled, bumping shoulders with the darker haired male, “she’s my friend.”

Albus shook his head, blushing, “no, I didn’t mean – you know what? Forget it. Let’s go back up the house, dad’s making dinner and –

Scorpius was sure _this_ was the moment. He had to do _something_.  

He smiled and reached over for Albus’ hand, taking it in his own, (it was now or never, his heart was pounding and his voice was a little shaky but _damn it_ he was a Gryffindor and he was going to do this, no matter how stereotypical that just sounded), “do you have any idea how cute you are?”

Albus looked like he was about to protest when Scorpius just leaned in and cupped the raven haired man’s cheek and pressed their lips together. Albus let out something close to a shy whine or gasp, before he wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ shoulders and tilted his head to kiss the blond back more firmly.

Their eyes closed at the same moment of contact and it was like the rest of their surroundings melted away. Scorpius’ hands were warm on Albus’ face and his lips were soft, delicate, they kissed hesitantly, moving over each other’s lips like a shy dance, until Scorpius pulled the slightly shorter male closer. Feeling hazy, Albus melted into Scorpius’ embrace, smiling against the latter’s lips, feeling warm and safe, the blond’s lips tasted like mint and he smelt like freshly cut grass and the golden sun, and it was everything he could ever want.

When they pulled back to breathe, Scorpius rested his forehead against Albus’, both of them breathless and a little pink in the face.

“I like you,” Scorpius whispered, “I want _you_ , if you’ll have me.”

“I like you too,” Albus blushed, feeling like a giggly young teenager all over again, and surged forwards into Scorpius’ embrace, hugging him tight, “you’ve got me.”

Never before had Scorpius felt this light.

**-*-**

The next day when Scorpius woke up, he couldn’t stop smiling. He’d had dinner at the Potter’s and it had been as lovely as always, especially with how close Albus sat next to him. After, he’d taken the flu powder home, kissing Albus’ forehead before he left and once home, showered and then fell asleep, thinking of Albus’ smile and green eyes.

After brushing his teeth and splashing water on his face, Scorpius came downstairs for breakfast, greeted by his father’s knowing smile.

“Morning, dad,” Scorpius said, walking over to the kitchen cabinets to get the cereal out.

“Morning, son,” Draco replied, sipping his tea, eyes watching his son over the top of his newspaper, “you got in late last night.”

“Yeah,” Scorpius blushed, “had dinner with the Potters…”

“Ah,” Draco smiled, amused and then set his newspaper down, asking nonchalantly, “so you told Albus then?”

Scorpius could’ve sworn his entire face was redder than the Gryffindor common room’s carpet.

**Author's Note:**

> How did I do? D: I'm nervous!


End file.
